Sleeping-car having upper and lower berths.



H. P. RICHARDSON. SLEEPING CAR HAVING UPPER AND LOWER BERTHS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV'. 9, 1912.

Patented May 26, 1914.

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HAMILTON P. RICHARDS-0N, `OF CHICAGO, ILLN'OIS.

SLEEPING-GAR HAVING UPPER AND LOWER, BERTHS.

Specification of 'Letters Patent.

,ra/rented May ee, 1era.

Application led November 9, 1912. Serial No. 730,394.

T0 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HAMILTON P. RICH- ARDSON, citizen of the United States, rcsiding at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sleeping- Cars Having Upper and Lower Berths, of which the following is the specification.

The object and `nature of the invention are to convert a section of sleeping car having upper and lower berths into two dressing rooms, by turning the berths on end on the floor as and for partitions, and to reconvert the saine.

Figure I of the drawing shows a view in elevation of a section of the car with the means referred to. Fig. II shows an end view of said section.

Figure 3 indicates the car side, t the panel, v

5 the window, 6 the lower berth made up as a berth, 7 the partition from the lower berth, 8 the upper berth made up, 9 the partition from the upper berth, 10 the berth supporting pins, 11 the rollers, 12 the bearing springs, 13 the slots, 14 the rails, 15 the pin bearings, 16 the roller spindles, 17 the pulley block, 18 its spring, 19 the foot boards, 2O the chains, 21 the shoulders, 22 the upper berth division. 23 the hinge, 24: the lower berth aisle leg, 25 the dovetail slides, 26 the angle bar, 27 the horizontal bed springs, 28 the lower berth arm.

Back of each berth (6 and 8), in horizontal position a slot extends in the car side (18). Back of each berth in vertical position, when used for a partition, a slot extends in the car side (13). The lower berth partition is located at the right end of the section (7), and the upper berth partition is located near the middle of the section (9). The partitions extend from the floor to the ceiling. It is apparent that these positions might be reversed and the llower berth be located at the left end or the middle and the upper berth at either end.

Each berth is loosely mounted on two pins (10), each pin passing through one slot and rigidly mounted in connection Vwith three rollers (11) on rails (14:) parallel with the slots in the car side, two rollers on one rail on one side of each slot and one roller on a rail on the opposite side of the slot.

The lower berth vertical slot begins at the height of the berth from the floor and extends to the top of the partition or the ceiling, and the lower berth horizontal slot begins at a pointdistant from the left end of the section equal to the height of thev lower berth from the iloor and extends tothe said vertical slot. The upper berth vertical slot begins at the height of the upper berth from the floor and extends to a distance from the floor equal to the distance of this slot troni the left end of the section, and the upper berth horizontal slot 4begins at a distance from the right end of the section equal to the drop of this berth from the ceiling, or the top of the partition, and extends to the said vertical slot. The rails extend beyond the slots at both ends thereof only far enough to carry the rollers respectively.

The pins (10) are mounted in the berths at the points of lb eginning of the slots with the berths in the horizontal positions.

The action is that the berths turn on the pins and move in the slots and on the rails together. The left end ci the upper berth is lowered thirty degrees, the right end of the lower berth is raised and the lower berth is brought to the vertical position as a partition, after which the upper berth is lowered to the vertical position as a partition. It is apparent that the order of action might be reversed and the lower berth-raised thirty degrees and the upper berth lowered to the vertical position, and then the lower berth raised to the vertical position.

The berths are reconverted by reverse steps. The upper berth is raised sixty degrees, the lower berth is lowered to the horizontal position, then the upper berth is raised to the horizontal position.

For the firm mounting of the berths the pins and their bearings (15) in the berth frames are long. The roller spindles for each pin (16) are rigidly connected to a half elliptic spring (12), one .spindle at each end and the middle of each such spring, the ends of the spindles projecting from one and the same side of the spring, and the berth pin is van extension of the middle spindle. rlhe rollers for each pin and their rail webs lie in one plane parallel with the car side, with the tread of the rails facing each other and the rollers between the rails. It is apparent that the rails might be laid with the bases contiguous betweenthe rollers, or that one rail might be laid between its rollers and the panel, and the two rails and the rollers bearing on them be in two planes at right angles. The springs are compressed in position. The two end rolli ers for each pin bear on one rail and the middle roller is guided and gripped by the other rail and moves in the opposite direction to the two rollers.

The upper berth is oounterbalanced by a wire pulley block in the oar side (17), hauling on a spring (1S), with a number of pulleys to limit the tension on the spring, and to balance the upper berth in all positions with occupant. The berths have foot-boards (19), contributing to the support of the occupants. The berths are converted by the porter and the movement is graduated to degrees and will be found as safe and easy as the movement of reclining chairs in other oars. The covers can be held by straps.

The upper berth chains (20) may be removed or the Chains may be detached and reattaohed. 'Ihe upper berth frame will be .in two hinged pieces, divided lengthwise, on the line of short bend of the panel (22), near the oar side, and the pins through frame and slots will not be strained in converting. The lower berth parts will be rigidly oonnected, the back and seat pieces joined with horizontal, dovetailed slides (25), and an angle bar bearing made next oar side (26). The berth springs will be horizontal, coil springs (27), instead of box springs, and

clear door space of thirty inches by thirtysix inches will be provided for each room. )Nash basin lockers can be put in beneath windows.

I claim:

In a sleeping oar having upper and lower berths, each berth loosely mounted on two pins, eaoh pin rigidly mounted on two roller spindles, each roller bearing on a rail in the car side, the rails extending upwardly for one pin rollers for the lower berth and downwardly for one pin rollers Jfor the upper berth, and laterally thereto respectively for the other pin rollers, said berth pins, rollers and rails being adapted to permit the conversion of the berths into room partitions at the middle and the end of the sections.

C. O. SHEPHERD, LILLIAN C. KOCH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, ID. C. 

